Lineage

Established as 96th Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 15 Jul 1942. Inactivated on 21 Dec 1945. Redesignated 96th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 13 May 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 29 May 1947. Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949. Consolidated (31 Jan 1984) with the 96th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, which was established on 23 Mar 1953. Redesignated 96th Bombardment Wing, Medium, on 6 Nov 1953. Activated on 18 Nov 1953. Redesignated: 96th Strategic Aerospace Wing on 1 Apr 1962; 96th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, on 31 Mar 1972; 96th Wing on 1 Sep 1991. Inactivated on 1 Oct 1993. Redesignated 96th Air Base Wing on 10 Mar 1994. Activated on 15 Mar 1994.

Assignments

Second Air Force, 15 Jul 1942?c. 4 Apr 1943; 4th Bombardment Wing (later, 4th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy), c. 14 Apr 1943 (attached to: 401st Provisional Combat Wing, Bombardment [Heavy], 6?19 Jun 1943; 403d Provisional Combat Wing, Bombardment [Heavy], 20 Jun?13 Sep 1943); 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy, 14 Sep 1943; 3d Air Division, 18 Jun 1945; 1st Air Division, 12 Aug 1945; 3d Air Division, 28 Sep?12 Dec 1945; New York Port of Embarcation, 20?21 Dec 1945. 19th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy (later, 19th Air Division, Bombardment), 29 May 1947? 27 Jun 1949. Eighth Air Force, 18 Nov 1953; Fifteenth Air Force, 1 Apr 1955 (attached to 3d Air Division, 10 Jan?7 Apr 1957); 819th Air (later, 819th Strategic Aerospace) Division, 3 Sep 1957; 19th Air Division, 2 Jul 1966; 12th Air Division, 1 Jul 1973; Fifteenth Air Force, 15 Jul 1988; Eighth Air Force, 1 Sep 1991?1 Oct 1993. Air Force Development Test Center, 15 Mar 1994?.

Components

Group. 96th Operations: 1 Sep 1991?1 Oct 1993.

Squadrons. 4th Strategic Support: 1 Sep 1959?15 Mar 1961. 11th Air Refueling: attached 16 Dec 1957?Mar 1958. 96th Air Refueling: 18 Nov 1953?3 Dec 1957 (detached 5 Oct?20 Nov 1954, 1 Aug?14 Sep 1955, 18?31 Jan 1956, 25 Jun?9 Oct 1956, and 10 Jan?7 Apr 1957). 321st Air Refueling: attached 3 Jul?8 Nov 1954. 337th Bombardment: 15 Jul 1942?29 Nov 1945; 29 May 1947?27 Jun 1949; 18 Nov 1953?15 Mar 1963; 15 Sep 1963?1 Sep 1991. 338th Bombardment (later, 338th Strategic Bombardment Training [B?1B]; 338th Combat Crew Training [B?1B]): 15 Jul 1942?15 Dec 1945; 29 May?8 Oct 1947; 18 Nov 1953?15 Mar 1963; 1 Jul 1986?1 Sep 1991. 339th Bombardment: 15 Jul 1942?29 Nov 1945; 29 May?8 Oct 1947; 18 Nov 1953?15 Mar 1963. 380th Air Refueling: attached 8 Nov 1954?1 Apr 1955. 413th Bombardment: 15 Jul 1942?19 Dec 1945; 17 Jul 1947?27 Jun 1949; 1 Nov 1958?1 Jan 1962. 546th Bombardment: 16 Jul 1947?27 Jun 1949. 547th Bombardment: 16 Jul 1947?27 Jun 1949. 578th Strategic Missile: 1 Jul 1961?25 Mar 1965. 917th Air Refueling: attached 1?14 Jan 1965, assigned 15 Jan 1965?1 Sep 1991. 4018th Combat Crew Training: 15 Mar 1985?1 Jul 1986.

Stations

Salt Lake City AAB, UT, 15 Jul 1942; Gowen Field, ID, 6 Aug 1942; Walla Walla AAB, WA, 14 Aug 1942 (ground echelon), 1 Sep 1942 (air echelon);Rapid City AAB, SD, 30 Sep 1942; Pocatello AAB, ID, 1 Nov 1942; Pyote AAB, TX, 3 Jan?Mar 1943; Great Saling, England, May 1943; Snetterton Heath, England, 12 Jun 1943?12 Dec 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 20?21 Dec 1945. Gunter Field (later, AFB), AL, 29 May 1947?27 Jun 1949. Altus AFB, OK, 18 Nov 1953; Dyess AFB, TX, 8 Sep 1957?1 Oct 1993. Eglin AFB, FL, 15 Mar 1994?.

Commanders

None (not manned), 15 Jul?5 Aug 1942; Col Archie J. Old, Jr., 6 Aug 1942; Col James L. Travis, c. 7 Sep 1943; Col Robert W. Warren, Jun 1944; Lt Col Robert J. Nolan, c. 27 May 1945?unkn. Lt Col Duane E. Thompson, 29 May 1947?unkn; Lt Col S. R. Young, (by Nov) 1948?unkn. Col Dearl L. Beard, 18 Nov 1953 (additional duty), 15 Mar 1954 (permanent); Col Audrin R. Walker, 21 Apr 1954; Col Roger M. Crow, 11 Jan 1955 (temporary); Col Robert B. Templeman, 26 Jan 1955 (temporary); Col Roger M. Crow, 29 Jan 1955 (temporary); Col Audrin R. Walker, 10 Mar 1955; Col Howard B. Walsh, c. 1 Oct 1957; Col Charles F. McKenna III, Oct 1957; Col Burton C. Andrus, Jr., 1 Nov 1958; Col William R. Yancey, 1 Dec 1958; Col Burton C. Andrus, Jr., 1 Mar 1959; Col William L. McDowell, Jr., 1 Jun 1961; Col Harold A. Radetsky, (by 27) Jun 1963; Col Eugene A. Stalzer, 2 Aug 1965; Col William A. Cooper, 16 Jun 1967; Col Edgar S. Harris, Jr., 16 Aug 1968; Col William P. Armstrong, 13 Feb 1970; Col Bertram G. Brunner, c. 5 Jun 1970; Col Evarice C. Mire, Jr., c. 22 Jun 1970?unkn; Col William P. Armstrong, (by 7 Oct) 1970; Col James D. Naler, 15 Mar 1971; Col Bill V. Brown, c. 8 Feb 1972; Col Eric W. Carlson, 10 Aug 1972; Col James D. Naler, 15 Nov 1972; Col Eric W. Carlson, 29 Jun 1973; Col Bill V. Brown, 23 Aug 1973; Col Eric W. Carlson, 1 May 1974; Col Frank J. Apel, Jr., 2 Jul 1975; Col Joseph S. Morison, 24 Aug 1977; Col Richard B. Houghton, 5 Jun 1978; Col David L. Wyse, 4 June 1980; Col Mack C. Turley, 26 Jan 1982; Col George L. Butler, 8 Jun 1983; Col Alan V. Rogers, 2 Jul 1984; Col Robert E. Dempsey, 18 Jun 1986; Col Albert D. Jensen, 28 May 1987; Col William J. Ehrie, 27 Feb 1989; Col Johnny G. Griffin, 11 Jul 1991; Brig Gen Jerrold P. Allen, 22 Jun 1992?.

Aircraft and Missiles

B?17, 1942?1945. AT?6, 1947?1949; AT?11, 1947?1949. KC?97, 1954? 1956, 1956?1958; B?47, 1955?1963; C?124, 1959?1961; Atlas, 1962?1965; B?52, 1963?1970, 1970?1972, 1973?1985; KC?135, 1965?1970, 1970? 1972, 1973?; B?1B, 1985?.

Operations

Activated on 15 Jul 1942 and manned in early Aug, the 96th spent the next six months training with B?17s and as an operational training unit. Moved to England, Apr?May 1943, and served with the Eighth Air Force. Entered combat in May 1943 and functioned primarily as a strategic bombardment organization throughout the war. Attacked shipyards, harbors, railroad yards, airdromes, oil refineries, aircraft factories, and other industrial targets in Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for withstanding severe assault by enemy fighters to bomb the vital aircraft factories at Regensburg on 17 Aug 1943. Received another DUC for leading components of the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy, a great distance through heavy clouds and intense antiaircraft fire to raid important aircraft component factories in Poland on 9 Apr 1944. In addition to strategic operations, missions included bombing coastal defenses, railway bridges, gun emplacements, and field batteries in the battle area prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in Jun 1944; attacking enemy positions in support of the breakthrough at St Lo in Jul 1944; aiding the campaign in France in Aug by striking roads and road junctions and dropping supplies to the Maquis; and attacking, during the early months of 1945, the transport centers suppling German armies on the western front. After V?E Day, flew food to Holland and hauled redeployed personnel to French Morocco, Ireland, France, and Germany. Returned to the US in Dec 1945 and inactivated on 21 Dec 1945. Activated in the Reserve on 29 May 1947 at Gunter AFB, AL. Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949. Although activated in Nov 1953, wing headquarters and most wing components were not manned until Mar 1954; those components manned were controlled by the 96th Air Base Group, whose commander served additional duty as wing commander. Began air refueling operations in Mar 1954 and bombardment training in Apr 1955 in support of SAC?s global commitments. Deployed at Andersen AFB, Guam, 10 Jan?7 Apr 1957. Controlled a strategic airlift squadron, Sep 1959?Mar 1961, and an Atlas missile squadron, Jul 1961?Mar 1965. The first Atlas missile went on alert in Apr 1962. During several months of 1970, and for a lengthy period in 1972?1973, all wing aircraft, crews, and most support personnel were loaned to other SAC organizations based in the Far East or Southeast Asia for combat operations. From 1980, the wing?s KC?135A aircraft deployed to Europe, Alaska, and the Pacific to support SAC tanker task force requirements. Became the first wing to operate the B?1B, after the arrival of the first aircraft on 29 Jun 1985. On 1 Oct 1986, B?1Bs assumed SAC alert duties for the first time. Wing KC?135 tankers provided refueling support to units involved in the invasion of Panama, Dec 1989. Ferried personnel and equipment to Guam for further movement to Southwest Asia, in Aug 1990. Single KC?135s provided refueling support throughout Southwest Asia, Aug 1990?Mar 1991.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Germany, 17 Aug 1943; Poznan, Poland, 9 Apr 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jan 1959?31 Dec 1960; 1 Jul 1974?30 Jun 1975; 30 May 1990?29 May 1992.

Emblem

Azure, a falcon?s head erased Or holding in its beak a drop bomb bendwise nose to base Gules, garnished Sanguine fimbriated of the second all within a diminished bordure of the like. Motto: E SEMPRE L?ORA?It is always the hour. Approved on 18 Feb 1943 (K 2655).